1. Writing Sports Stories

2. Sports Stories No scores in the lead Sports writers must interpret the game No play-by-play rehash, the readers have TV Offer something to the fans who saw the game Opinion (analysis) is ok

3. “Slanguage” – Sports language Sports-specific language (terminology) is ok. Trite (boring from overuse, cliché) expressions are not ok Trite: Functioned like a well-oiled machine (p.285) Good: Hit the field like a broken catsup bottle (p. 286)

4. Understanding sports Know the rules and strategies, and the reasons behind them. Read the sports page Watch sports events on tv Play sports Get to know the coaches and players Reporters need to get across the feelings and motivations of coaches and players.

5. Sports Coverage Cover the sporting whether winning or losing Don’t ignore minor sports, JV teams, and girls’ teams Recreation sports should be considered too Skiing Skateboarding Sports shorts Highlights and stats

6. Sports Features Personality profiles Sports technology Training regiments (see 289)

7. Pregame Story Requires preemptive reporting Gather info on other teams (coaches and sports editors) Components of a pre-game story Last year’s scores of contest Condition of athletes Key athletes or starters Comparison of teams or individuals Comments on style of play (offense and defense) Significance of events (records, future) History of rivalries and overall history scores See p. 291 Sports-related events Band Spirit events Half-time Cheerleaders

8. The Game Story Keep detailed accurate notes (press box) Develop a quick note-taking method. Look for turning points

9. Partisanship You’re busy, no cheerleading

10. Game Coverage Games are old news, not too much detail Brief accounts, score credit, good plays/players Score, name of event, boys or girls, sophs JF or varsity team

11. The Postgame Story AKA The sideline story Spectator actions The background story Historical rivalries Sports interview Players/coaches Locker-room story Wrap-up or review of the season Untangle confusion with controversy Update readers on score record

12. Checklist Does the content of the story reflect support for the local team without being excessively partisan? If the story is pregame, does it give specific information about the opposition as well as the home team? For game and postgame stories, has the writer taken essentially a featurized approach? Is the language fresh and original, with “slanguage” kept to a minimum? Is the story free from grammatical errors and in accordance with the publication and general AP style?

13. Sportswriting today p. 297